HMS Sultan is a shore base of the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...

Gosport Gosport ( ) is a town and non-metropolitan borough on the south coast of Hampshire, South East England. At the 2011 Census, its population was 82,662. Gosport is situated on a peninsula on the western side of Portsmouth Harbour, opposite t ...

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants) is a ceremonial county, ceremonial and non-metropolitan county, non-metropolitan counties of England, county in western South East England on the coast of the English Channel. Home to two major English citi ...

, England. It is the primary engineering training establishment for the Royal Navy and home to the

Network Rail Network Rail Limited is the owner (via its subsidiary Network Rail Infrastructure Limited, which was known as Railtrack plc before 2002) and infrastructure manager of most of the railway network in Great Britain. Network Rail is an "arm's leng ...

Advanced Apprenticeship Scheme and the

EDF Energy EDF Energy is a British integrated energy company, wholly owned by the French state-owned EDF (Électricité de France), with operations spanning electricity generation and the sale of natural gas and electricity to homes and businesses through ...

engineering maintenance apprenticeship. It is expected that HMS Sultan will close in the near future, but "no earlier than 2029". The site was originally RAF Gosport it was then transferred to the Royal Navy during 1945 as HMS Siskin (Hence a nearby school being named Siskin School) it was then renamed HMS Sultan on 1 June 1956 when the airfield side was closed down and a Mechanical Repair Establishment was moved here from the Flathouse area by

Portsmouth Dockyard His Majesty's Naval Base, Portsmouth (HMNB Portsmouth) is one of three operating bases in the United Kingdom for the Royal Navy (the others being HMNB Clyde and HMNB Devonport). Portsmouth Naval Base is part of the city of Portsmouth; it is l ...

. ''A Better Defence Estate'', published in November 2016, indicated that the

Ministry of Defence {{unsourced, date=February 2021 A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is an often-used name for the part of a government responsible for matters of defence, found in states ...

intend on disposing of HMS Sultan by 2026. It was proposed that Submarine Engineer Training would move to

HM Naval Base Clyde His Majesty's Naval Base, Clyde (HMNB Clyde; also HMS ''Neptune''), primarily sited at Faslane on the Gare Loch, is one of three operating bases in the United Kingdom for the Royal Navy (the others being HMNB Devonport and HMNB Portsmouth). I ...

in 2024, Mechanical Engineering Training to HMS ''Collingwood'' in 2025 and the

Admiralty Interview Board The Admiralty Interview Board (AIB) is an assessment centre, tracing its roots to 1903, that is used by the Naval Service as part of the officer selection process for the Royal Navy, Royal Marines, Royal Naval Reserve, Royal Marines Reserve, a ...

to HM Naval Base Portsmouth in 2026. However, in March 2019 the Ministry of Defence announced that closure would be delayed to 2029 at the earliest.

First World War

* No. 5 Squadron Royal Flying Corps between 6 July and 14 August 1914 with the

Sopwith Tabloid The Sopwith Tabloid and Sopwith Schneider (floatplane) were British biplanes, originally designed as sports aircraft and later adapted for military use. They were among the first successful types to be built by the Sopwith Aviation Company. The ...

Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.1 The Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2 was a British single-engine tractor two-seat biplane designed and developed at the Royal Aircraft Factory. Most of the roughly 3,500 built were constructed under contract by private companies, including establi ...

Sopwith Three-seater The Sopwith Three-seater was a British aircraft designed and built prior to the start of the First World War. One of the first aircraft built by the Sopwith Aviation Company, it was operated by both the Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) and the Ro ...

and

Farman MF.7 The Maurice Farman MF.7 ''Longhorn'' is a French biplane developed before World War I which was used for reconnaissance by both the French and British air services in the early stages of the war before being relegated to service as a trainer. D ...

Longhorn * No. 8 Squadron Royal Flying Corps between 6 January and 15 April 1915 with the

Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2 The Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2 was a British single-engine tractor two-seat biplane designed and developed at the Royal Aircraft Factory. Most of the roughly 3,500 built were constructed under contract by private companies, including establish ...

C, B.E.2A and B.E.2B * No. 13 Squadron Royal Flying Corps formed here on 10 January and moved to St-Omer on 19 October 1915, it used the B.E.2C and

Bristol Scout The Bristol Scout was a single-seat rotary-engined biplane originally designed as a racing aircraft. Like similar fast, light aircraft of the period it was used by the RNAS and the RFC as a "scout", or fast reconnaissance type. It was one of t ...

* No. 14 Squadron Royal Flying Corps between 5 August and 7 November 1915 with the Longhorn, BE2C and

Caudron G.3 The Caudron G.3 was a single-engined French sesquiplane built by Caudron, widely used in World War I as a reconnaissance aircraft and trainer. Development The Caudron G.3 was designed by René and Gaston Caudron as a development of their earli ...

* No. 17 Squadron Royal Flying Corps reformed here on 1 February 1915 with the BE2C. It moved to Hounslow on 5 August 1915 * No. 22 Squadron Royal Flying Corps formed here on 1 September 1915 with a variety of aircraft, it moved to St-Omer on 1 April 1916 * No. 23 Squadron Royal Flying Corps formed here on 1 September 1915 and used a variety of aircraft until 15 March 1916 when it moved to St-Omer * No. 28 Squadron Royal Flying Corps formed here on 7 November 1915 with a variety of aircraft until 23 July 1917 when it moved to

RAF Yatesbury RAF Yatesbury is a former Royal Air Force airfield near the village of Yatesbury, Wiltshire, England, about east of the town of Calne. It was an important training establishment in the First and Second World Wars, and until its closure in 1965. ...

* No. 29 Squadron Royal Flying Corps formed here on 7 November 1915 with a variety of aircraft. It moved to St-Omer on 25 March 1916 * 'B' Flight of No. 31 Squadron Royal Flying Corps formed here on 18 January 1916, staying until 1 March 1916 when the unit moved to Risalpur * A detachment of No. 39 Squadron Royal Flying Corps from 30 June 1916 * No. 40 Squadron Royal Flying Corps formed here on 26 February 1916 with the B.E.2C and

Avro 504 The Avro 504 was a First World War biplane aircraft made by the Avro aircraft company and under licence by others. Production during the war totalled 8,970 and continued for almost 20 years, making it the most-produced aircraft of any kind tha ...

until 19 August 1916 when the unit moved to St-Omer * No. 41 Squadron Royal Flying Corps formed here initially on 15 April 1916 before disbanding on 22 May 1916. The unit reformed here again on 14 July 1916 with the

Vickers F.B.5 The Vickers F.B.5 (Fighting Biplane 5) (known as the "Gunbus") was a British two-seat pusher military biplane of the First World War. Armed with a single .303 in (7.7 mm) Lewis gun operated by the observer in the front of the ...

Airco DH.2 The Airco DH.2 was a single-seat pusher biplane fighter aircraft which operated during the First World War. It was the second pusher design by aeronautical engineer Geoffrey de Havilland for Airco, based on his earlier DH.1 two-seater. The d ...

and

Royal Aircraft Factory F.E.8 The Royal Aircraft Factory F.E.8 was a British single-seat fighter of the First World War designed at the Royal Aircraft Factory. It could not escape the drag penalty imposed by its tail structure and was no match for the Albatros fighters of ...

. Staying until 15 October 1916 when the unit moved to St-Omer * No. 45 Squadron Royal Flying Corps formed here on 1 March 1916 with a variety of aircraft including the

Martinsyde S.1 The Martin-Handasyde Scout 1 was a British biplane aircraft of the early part of the First World War built by Martin-Handasyde Limited. Design and development It was a single-seat biplane with a Gnome engine in tractor configuration. Operatio ...

and

, staying until 3 May 1916 when it moved to Thetford * No. 56 Squadron Royal Flying Corps formed here on 8 June 1916 using a variety of aircraft until 14 July 1916 when it mvoved to London Colney * No. 60 Squadron Royal Flying Corps formed here on 15 May 1916 using the

Morane-Saulnier H The Morane-Saulnier H was an early aircraft first flown in France in the months immediately preceding the First World War; it was a single-seat derivative of the successful Morane-Saulnier G with a slightly reduced wingspanTaylor 1989, p.648"The ...

until 228 May 1916 when the unit moved to the St-Omer * A detachment of No. 78 Squadron Royal Flying Corps from 25 December 1916 * No. 79 Squadron Royal Flying Corps formed here on 1 August 1917 using various aircraft until 8 August 1917 when the unit moved to Beaulieu * No. 81 Squadron Royal Flying Corps formed here on 7 January 1917 using various aircraft until 15 January 1917 when the unit moved to Scampton * No. 88 Squadron Royal Flying Corps formed here on 24 July 1917 using various aircraft until 2 August 1917 when the unit moved to Harling Road ;Units * No. 1 Squadron RNAS * No. 1 Training Squadron was disbanded here on 2 August 1917 and merged with No. 27 Training Squadron and No. 55 Training Squadron to become School of Special Flying, Gosport * No. 1 School of Special Flying from 18 May 1918 until 1 July 1918 when the unit became the Southwestern Area Flying Instructors School RAF * 7th Wing Royal Flying Corps * Anti-Aircraft Special Defence Flight formed here during October 1918 but was disbanded during December 1918 * Southwestern Area Flying Instructors School was formed here on 1 July 1918 and disbanded here on 26 February 1919 * No. 10 Training Squadron * No. 17 (Training) Group * 17th Wing Royal Flying Corps * No. 27 Reserve Squadron * No. 27 Training Squadron * No. 55 Training Squadron * No. 59 Reserve Squadron * No. 62 Reserve Squadron * No. 70 Training Squadron * No. 87 (Canadian) Reserve Squadron * No. 91 (Canadian) Reserve Squadron

Inter war years

No. 3 Squadron RAF Number 3 Squadron, also known as No. 3 (Fighter) Squadron, of the Royal Air Force operates the Eurofighter Typhoon FGR4 from RAF Coningsby, Lincolnshire, since reforming on 1 April 2006. It was first formed on 13 May 1912 as one of the first squ ...

from 8 November 1922 with the

Supermarine Walrus The Supermarine Walrus (originally designated the Supermarine Seagull V) was a British single-engine amphibious biplane reconnaissance aircraft designed by R. J. Mitchell and manufactured by Supermarine at Woolston, Southampton. The Walrus f ...

until being disbanded on 1 April 1923 * A detachment of

No. 42 Squadron RAF Number 42 Squadron was a squadron of the Royal Air Force. It served during the First World War as an army co-operation squadron and during the Second World War in various roles. Between 1992 and 2010, it was the Operational Conversion Unit (OC ...

from 11 March 1938 *

No. 186 Squadron RAF No. 186 Squadron of the Royal Air Force was formed on 1 April 1918 at East Retford, providing night pilot training for home defence and on the Western front. On 31 December 1918 it was reformed as an operational shipboard unit aboard . In 1919, ...

from 17 February 1919 with the

Cuckoo Cuckoos are birds in the Cuculidae family, the sole taxon in the order Cuculiformes . The cuckoo family includes the common or European cuckoo, roadrunners, koels, malkohas, couas, coucals and anis. The coucals and anis are sometimes separ ...

until 1 February 1920 when the unit was disbanded *

No. 210 Squadron RAF ("Hovering in the Heavens")Halley 1988, p. 274. , colors= , colors_label= , march= , mascot= , equipment= , equipment_label= , battles= , anniversaries= , decorations= , battle_honours= Western Front, 1916–18 Ypres 1917 Lys Atlantic 1939–45 A ...

reformed here on 1 February 1920 with the Cuckoo until 1 April 1923 when the unit disbanded * A detachment of

No. 224 Squadron RAF No. 224 Squadron RAF was a Royal Air Force squadron that saw service in both the First and Second World Wars. History It was formed on 1 April 1918, at Alimini, Italy from part of No. 6 Wing RNAS, equipped with the de Havilland DH.4. In June 1 ...

from 17 January 1938 with the

Avro Anson The Avro Anson is a British twin-engined, multi-role aircraft built by the aircraft manufacturer Avro. Large numbers of the type served in a variety of roles for the Royal Air Force (RAF), Fleet Air Arm (FAA), Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) a ...

I ;Units * No. 1 Coast Artillery Co-operation Flight formed here on 14 December 1936 using the

Hawker Hart The Hawker Hart is a British two-seater biplane light bomber aircraft that saw service with the Royal Air Force (RAF). It was designed during the 1920s by Sydney Camm and manufactured by Hawker Aircraft. The Hart was a prominent British aircraf ...

Hawker Osprey The Hawker Hart is a British two-seater biplane light bomber aircraft that saw service with the Royal Air Force (RAF). It was designed during the 1920s by Sydney Camm and manufactured by Hawker Aircraft. The Hart was a prominent British aircra ...

III and

Fairey Seal The Fairey Seal was a British carrier-borne spotter-reconnaissance aircraft, operated in the 1930s. The Seal was derived – like the Gordon – from the IIIF. To enable the Fairey Seal to be launched by catapult from warships, it could be fitt ...

until 1 June 1937 when the unit was disbanded and became No. 1 Coast Artillery Co-operation Unit. It was redesignated back to its old name on 18 May 1941 but reverted to the newer name on 12 January 1942 * No. 17 Group Communications Flight was formed here during August 1938 * The Coastal Defence Development Unit was formed here on 1 April 1935 and was disbanded on 14 December 1936 * The Coast Defence Training Flight was disbanded here on 1 August 1933 to become No. 1 Coastal Defence Training Unit * The Coastal Battery Co-operation Flight was formed here on 23 December 1919 and was disbanded here during September 1921 * The Coastal Battery Co-operation School Flight was formed here during September 1919 and disbanded here on 23 December 1919 to become the Coastal Battery Co-operation Flight * The Development Squadron, Gosport was formed here on 17 August 1918 and disbanded on 31 December 1918. It was merged with elements from

No. 185 Squadron RAF No. 185 Squadron RAF was a Royal Air Force Squadron formed in World War I and reformed as a bomber and fighter unit in World War II. It then reformed in Malta in the post war period as a jet fighter squadron. History Formation and World War I No. ...

to become No. 186 (Development) Squadron * The Eagle Trials Flight was formed here on 1 April 1920 and was disbanded during October 1920 * The School of Aerial Co-operation with Coastal Defence Batteries was formed here on 31 January 1918 and was disbanded during September 1919 to become the Coastal Battery Co-operation School * The Torpedo Development Flight was formed here during 1925 and disbanded during November 1938 to become the Torpedo Development Section * The Torpedo Development Section * The Torpedo Development Unit was formed here on 22 June 1939 and disbanded on 15 September 1943 to beceom the Aircraft Torpedo Development Unit * The Torpedo Training Squadron * The Torpedo Training Unit was formed here during February 1936 * Royal Air Force Base Gosport was formed here on 1 October 1921 and had five different flights: ** 'A' (Army and Navy Co-operation) Flight ** 'B' (Telegraphist and Air Gunner) Flight ** 'C' (Deck Landing) Flight ** 'D' (Torpedo Training) Flight ** 'E' (Experimental) Flight * No. 409 (Fleet Fighter) Flight formed here on 7 October 1932 * No. 420 (Fleet Spotter) Flight formed here on 1 April 1923 * No. 421 (Fleet Spotter) Flight formed here on 1 April 1923 * No. 422 (Fleet Spotter) Flight formed here on 1 April 1923 * No. 423 (Fleet Spotter) Flight formed here on 21 November 1923 * No. 445 (Fleet Reconnaissance) Flight disbanded here on 3 April 1933 * No. 446 (Fleet Reconnaissance) Flight disbanded here on 3 April 1933 * No. 450 (Fleet Spotter Reconnaissance) Flight disbanded here on 3 April 1933 * No. 460 (Fleet Torpedo) Flight was formed here on 1 April 1923 * No. 461 (Fleet Torpedo) Flight formed here on 1 April 1923 * No. 462 (Fleet Torpedo) Flight formed here on 31 May 1924 * No. 463 (Fleet Torpedo) Flight formed here on 1 September 1927 * No. 464 (Fleet Torpedo) Flight formed here on 1 September 1927 * No. 465 (Fleet Torpedo) Flight formed here on 20 March 1931 * No. 466 (Fleet Torpedo) Flight formed here on 31 March 1931

Second World War

No. 48 Squadron RAF No. 48 Squadron was a Royal Air Force squadron that saw service in both the First and Second World Wars. History First World War No. 48 Squadron of the Royal Flying Corps was formed at Netheravon, Wiltshire, on 15 April 1916. The squadron w ...

between 30 November 1942 and 23 December 1942 with the

Lockheed Hudson The Lockheed Hudson is a light bomber and coastal reconnaissance aircraft built by the American Lockheed Aircraft Corporation. It was initially put into service by the Royal Air Force shortly before the outbreak of the Second World War and prim ...

V, III & VI *

No. 86 Squadron RAF ("We fly to freedom") , colors= , colors_label= , march= , mascot= , equipment=Bristol Blenheim Bristol BeaufortConsolidated Liberator , equipment_label= Aircraft , battles=World War II , anniversaries= , decorations= , battle_honours= , commande ...

reformed here on 6 December 1940 with the

Bristol Blenheim The Bristol Blenheim is a British light bomber aircraft designed and built by the Bristol Aeroplane Company (Bristol) which was used extensively in the first two years of the Second World War, with examples still being used as trainers until ...

IV. The unit moved to

RAF Leuchars Royal Air Force Leuchars or RAF Leuchars was a Royal Air Force (RAF) station located in Leuchars, Fife, on the east coast of Scotland. Throughout the Cold War and beyond, the station was home to fighter aircraft which policed northern UK airspac ...

on 3 February 1941 *

No. 248 Squadron RAF No. 248 Squadron was a squadron of the Royal Air Force, active immediately after World War I, and again during World War II. Service history First World War 248 Squadron RAF was formed at Hornsea Mere in the East Riding of Yorkshire in August 1 ...

between 16 April and 22 May 1940 with the Bristol Blenheim IF & IVF *

No. 608 Squadron RAF No. 608 (North Riding) Squadron was an Auxiliary Air Force squadron of the Royal Air Force during the Second World War. It flew during its existence as a bomber, fighter and reconnaissance unit and was the only RAF squadron to be equipped with t ...

between 27 August and 9 November 1942 with the Hudson V *

No. 667 Squadron RAF 667 Squadron AAC is a squadron of the British Army's Army Air Corps (AAC). History No. 667 squadron was first formed on 1 December 1943 at RAF Gosport, Hampshire from 1662 and 1631 Flight and No. 7 Anti-Aircraft Practice Camp at RAF Shoreham, ...

formed here on 1 December 1943 and used a variety of aircraft including

Boulton Paul Defiant The Boulton Paul Defiant is a British interceptor aircraft that served with the Royal Air Force (RAF) during World War II. The Defiant was designed and built by Boulton Paul Aircraft as a "turret fighter", without any fixed forward-firing guns ...

Hawker Hurricane The Hawker Hurricane is a British single-seat fighter aircraft of the 1930s–40s which was designed and predominantly built by Hawker Aircraft Ltd. for service with the Royal Air Force (RAF). It was overshadowed in the public consciousness by ...

Fairey Barracuda The Fairey Barracuda was a British carrier-borne torpedo and dive bomber designed by Fairey Aviation. It was the first aircraft of this type operated by the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm (FAA) to be fabricated entirely from metal. The Barracuda ...

Airspeed Oxford The Airspeed AS.10 Oxford is a twin-engine monoplane aircraft developed and manufactured by Airspeed. It saw widespread use for training British Commonwealth aircrews in navigation, radio-operating, bombing and gunnery roles throughout the Seco ...

Vultee Vengeance The Vultee A-31 Vengeance was an American dive bomber of World War II, built by Vultee Aircraft. A modified version was designated A-35. The Vengeance was not used operationally by the United States, but was operated as a front-line aircraft by ...

s and

Supermarine Spitfire The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft used by the Royal Air Force and other Allied countries before, during, and after World War II. Many variants of the Spitfire were built, from the Mk 1 to the Rolls-Royce Grif ...

s until 20 December 1945 when the unit was disbanded *

No. 2758 Squadron RAF Regiment This is a list of units of the Royal Air Force Regiment. The RAF Regiment is the ground fighting force of the Royal Air Force and is charged mainly with protecting military airfields, among other duties. First formed in 1942 to protect the airfi ...

No. 2777 Squadron RAF Regiment This is a list of units of the Royal Air Force Regiment. The RAF Regiment is the ground fighting force of the Royal Air Force and is charged mainly with protecting military airfields, among other duties. First formed in 1942 to protect the airfi ...

* No. 2822 Squadron RAF Regiment * No. 2837 Squadron RAF Regiment ;Units * ‘H’ Flight of

No. 1 Anti-Aircraft Co-operation Unit RAF This is a List of Anti-aircraft co-operation units of the Royal Air Force. Anti-Aircraft Co-operation Units * Anti-Aircraft Co-operation Flight RAF (1931–36) became Anti-Aircraft Co-operation Unit RAF * Anti-Aircraft Co-operation Flight, ...

No. 2 Anti-Aircraft Co-operation Unit RAF This is a List of Anti-aircraft co-operation units of the Royal Air Force. Anti-Aircraft Co-operation Units * Anti-Aircraft Co-operation Flight RAF (1931–36) became Anti-Aircraft Co-operation Unit RAF * Anti-Aircraft Co-operation Flight, ...

was disbanded here on 14 February 1943 * ‘A’ Flight of No. 2 Anti-Aircraft Co-operation Unit became No. 1622 (Anti-Aircraft Co-operation) Flight RAF * ‘B’ Flight of No. 2 Anti-Aircraft Co-operation Unit * ‘D’ Flight of No. 2 Anti-Aircraft Co-operation Unit *

No. 8 Anti-Aircraft Co-operation Unit RAF This is a List of Anti-aircraft co-operation units of the Royal Air Force. Anti-Aircraft Co-operation Units * Anti-Aircraft Co-operation Flight RAF (1931–36) became Anti-Aircraft Co-operation Unit RAF * Anti-Aircraft Co-operation Flight, ...

* The Aircraft Torpedo Development Unit was formed here on 15 September 1943

Cold War

* No. 163 Gliding School was disbanded here during May 1948

Additional units posted to HMS Sultan

; Royal Navy The following units were also posted here at some point:

Current use

It is the primary engineering training establishment for the Royal Navy. It is also home to the

Advanced Apprenticeship Scheme and the

engineering maintenance apprenticeship. It is home to: * Defence School of Marine Engineering * RN Air Engineering and Survival School * Nuclear Department * Volunteer Cadet Corps National Centre

Cadets

HMS Sultan is home to a number of units of the

Volunteer Cadet Corps The Volunteer Cadet Corps (VCC) is a national youth organisation managed by the United Kingdom's Royal Navy and sponsored by the UK's Ministry of Defence. The VCC comprises: * Headquarters VCC. Based at in Gosport. * VCC Training Centre. Base ...

: * HMS Sultan Royal Naval

* Gosport Division

Royal Marines Volunteer Cadet Corps The Royal Marines Volunteer Cadet Corps (RMVCC) is part of the Royal Navy's Volunteer Cadet Corps. There are units (Divisions) in Arbroath, Chivenor, Gosport, Lympstone, Portsmouth, and Plymouth. The RMVCC exists alongside the Royal Marines Ca ...

* Band of the

Gosport * Volunteer Cadet Corps Training Centre * Volunteer Cadet Corps Field Gun * Headquarters Volunteer Cadet Corps

References

Citations

Bibliography

* * *

External links

*
Volunteer Cadet Corps
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sultan Gosport Nuclear research institutes in the United Kingdom Royal Navy bases in Hampshire Royal Navy shore establishments Science and technology in Hampshire Training establishments of the Royal Navy